Cedar City to begin drilling test wells as drinking-water master plan flags aquifer stress

Cedar City council members and staff spent the bulk of a work session reviewing the city's Drinking Water Master Plan and next steps to secure long-term water supplies, agreeing to start a sequence of pilot test wells in the city's northern valley and to pursue additional site work and negotiations on potential water purchases.

The master plan warns of stressed groundwater and limited system redundancy: "The plan states, 'Groundwater in the Cedar City Valley has been withdrawn at an unsustainable rate,'" council members read during the presentation. The consultants and city engineers told the council that current sources and pipelines approach peak-day capacity and that additional wells and pipelines will be needed over the next decade.

Why it matters: The report and discussion framed the city's immediate options — drill targeted test wells to learn water quality and quantity at specific sites, and pursue larger projects such as pipeline construction and Pine Valley import water — while emphasizing that groundwater alone is not expected to meet projected growth.

City staff recommended drilling three pilot wells in different parts of the northern watershed so the city can compare water quality and likely yield across a broader cross…